A NEW future for fountain pen inks

For the last 3 years I have been deconstructing fountain inks in the name of creative investigation to see if it’s possible to reimagine them as something other than just a handwriting agent for fountain pens. To see if it’s possible to help them defy the onslaught of digital visual software and find them a greater purpose within the analogue traditions that will guarantee their future and longevity.

Even within the fountain pen communities, disciples and followers with huge collections of coloured inks, are not necessarily fully aware of the potential that these magical fluids have to offer. And outside of the communities, fountain pen inks are increasingly an endangered species – a rare sighting.

My challenge has been to find a way of reintroducing fountain pen inks to both old and new audiences and demonstrating how exciting, interesting, compulsive and essential these fluids can be. Certainly, the workshops that I lead in exploring chromatography, serendipity, blending and bleaching etc are popular, but they will need a lot more exposure and greater attendance in order to really spread the word.

So how does one move a product which has spent it’s entire existence in the stationery sector into an arts and craft sector? As mentioned in a recent post, I have been working on a 4 colour set of inks that are both stand alone fountain pen inks with their own characteristics but when used together, can create a complete palette of secondary and tertiary colours. Click here to read article.

For many artists whether amateur or professional, an understanding of colour is an essential part of the creative process. And what I have created here, is exciting, interesting, compulsive and essential. The big advantage over the process watercolour and pure dye CMYK alternatives is that these fountain pen inks are unique colours that have been specifically created with base dyes and other chemical additives to ensure good ink flow etc – and it’s this alchemy that induces the chromatography and the serendipity. So, as a stand alone educational tool, this 4 colour ink set warrants your attention!

But as well as for use in colour theory, these four inks are absolutely ideal for painting and illustration – in particular for travel journalling as they are extremely portable, mix readily and look great. The examples shown are some initial writings and images I created on a recent hike along the South Downs in East Sussex. I think the gentle chromatic interactions between the inks make for great secondary and tertiary colours. And they’re so vivid too! No sediments or sludges!

But the crucial aspect for me is the medium continuity. I have yearned to see journalling move on in a purist way, and now that’s possible. Image and text in harmony – ALL from the same source – fountain pen ink!

The story behind the names and bottle labels. I was browsing through my trusted copy of ‘Walk Away Rene’ – the work of Hipgnosis – and was reading about one of their first photoshoots for the album ‘Elegy’ by the Nice.

The image was taken in Morocco (there’s also a great story about what else they got up to) and features red plastic balls running along sand dunes at the end of of typical desert day. And then it hit me, there they were, my four fountain pen ink colours: Berber Blue, Desert Rose, Dune Yellow and Twilight Black. The labels are all created from the individual ink colours, demonstrating their depth of colour and tone and all feature 3 camels and 2 drivers making their way across the desert.

And don’t forget that Inktober 2018 starts in a few days time! Why not grab yourself a set and create 31 images out of pure fountain pen ink? Click here for the Shop

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Nick Stewart

I create art using fountain pen inks and bleach. My techniques epitomise the whole ethos of ‘less is more’ and demonstrate how much one can achieve using very little. It is also a medium that is very much serendipity led and the beauty of the final outcomes are often dictated by this.

Amazing! I just ordered a couple of Fountain Pens and Poket Brush Pens that can be used with converter cartridges. And in the middle of the night it hit me “Can I just put CMYK printer ink in them?!” So, after research it turned out that, yes you can, as long as it is purely dye and water based. But the ink flow will be heavy. A dedicated set of CMYK fountain pen ink looks very interesting!

Hi Annuschka. Thanks for your comment. Yes, your eureka moment is for real. CMYK kits of pure dyes have been available for many many years to do with as you please. The purpose of my proposition is to showcase fountain pen inks to the arts and crafts communities. My inks are NOT pure CMYK. They are stand alone custom made fountain pens inks designed for handwriting with a fountain pen AND for arts and crafts purposes. When mixed together the colours they create are slightly different to pure CMYK. They are designed as a teaser for the arts and crafts communities in the hope that they will get excited and want to know more as I would like to see fountain pen inks adopted as an art medium in their own right. If you checkout my site you’ll see a huge range of inks that all behave in extraordinary ways. Inks that breakdown into 4 or 5 colours, inks that glow, inks that shimmer. So much creative potential that the arts and crafts communities are not aware of. By all means fill your converters with CMYK dyes but I think you’d get far more from using fountain pen inks. N

Hello Nick – Thank you for your inspiring website. I am interested in your inks. Sounds fun! Can you tell me a bit more about these inks? Are they waterproof when dry – so if I draw in the black, say, then paint over with the yellow, will the black lines dissolve and blur, or will they remain crisp and clear? Also, what are the tops of the bottles like – I mean, how do I get a little bit out of the bottle and onto the palette. Do I just need a very steady hand or do the bottles have a dropper top of some sort? Or do you use a pipette (one for each colour?)

These are fountain pen inks NOT shellac inks – so they are not waterproof. They behave like watercolour paints and inks. If you paint yellow over black (light on dark) the black will come back into solution and we know what happens. Painting, writing, drawing black on yellow (dark on light) is usually fine. This is a new way of doing things and requires a bit of trial and error to make the medium work best for you. The chromatography within the inks adds a little extra to the mix and these work well with bleach too.

You can get the ink out the bottles however you wish. With a brush, dropper or pouring. These were going to come with a dropper cap but I couldn’t guarantee the effective of these while travelling ie they leaked when inside a rucksack so the screw cap is the default.

Hello Nick,
These inks look great and have amazing potential for both art and journaling. I was wondering if they’ve been tested for lightproof-ness? In case I want to sell/display any art I make with these inks?

By their very nature, fountain pen inks are fugitive and susceptible to UV. But there are plenty of ink jet UV aerosol protections available and these work well. But like watercolours and many other mediums, put them in direct sunlight and they will fade over time. Common sense is needed.

[…] Why you should try this course There are few activities more meaningful than recording and reflecting on the events of our lives, those we care about and the world we live in. Whether journaling to create a keepsake containing precious moments and thoughts, or to improve creative illustration and writing skills or to simply pass on your life experiences to future generations, this workshop teaches a range of fountain pen ink art approaches and techniques that will enhance the journaling experience. (click here for Nick’s post on journaling inks). […]

[…] to catch this enthusiasm. You can’t fight it. He’s recently released his own range of CMYK(ish) inks for artists to mix their own colours with. As someone who has tried to use fp inks for art, and […]

I’m an artist who prefers ink over every other medium I’ve ever tried. The reason I don’t use fountain pen ink for anything more than writing is because the majority of it is not lightfast or waterproof. I love fountain pen ink and its capabilities in the realm of art, but I’m not going to spend a lot of time creating a piece that won’t last if someone wants to hang it up on a wall. I’m also a recent college grad (my minor was applied art) so I don’t have the money to spend on a good scanner and digital software suite to preserve such pieces digitally. If ink makers want to reach the semi-professional and professional artist markets they will have to create a line of inks pandering to our needs (beyond that of illustrators of course, since they scan their works into a digital format and don’t tend to care what happens to the originals).

Hi Laura. I use a UV protection on my artwork and it works well. I also use brands of ink that, in the main, are less fugitive than most and also you top quality papers. Ink manufacturers are slowly getting the message and Robert Oster has a new line of ink.art inks which are UV resistant. I use them, and they’re lovely. Please don’t give up in fp inks just yet, as a creative medium they are very special. N